Minnesota: How ICE raids killed 2 and triggered nationwide firestorm – who’s really to blame? | World News

Washington, DC: Political tensions in the United States reached a high on Monday after deadly encounters involving US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Minneapolis triggered nationwide protests and a violent blame game between the White House and Democratic leaders in Minnesota.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Democratic leaders of a “tragedy,” pointing directly at Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. He told reporters he accused them of “deliberate and hostile resistance from Democratic leaders in Minnesota” and said: “For weeks, Governor Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey and other elected Democrats have been spreading lies about federal law enforcement officers who risk their lives every day to remove the worst criminal illegal aliens from our streets.”

President Donald Trump echoed Leavitt’s comments, urging Walz, Frey and other Democratic governors and mayors to cooperate with federal authorities. Through his posts on Truth Social, he demanded: “Governor Walz and Mayor Frey must immediately turn over all Illegal Criminal Aliens currently incarcerated in State Jails and Prisons to Federal Authorities for deportation.”

He called on local police to assist federal agencies in detaining “illegal aliens” wanted for “crimes.”

“American Cities should be Safe Havens for law-abiding American Citizens ONLY,” Trump said, portraying sanctuary city policies as the “root cause” of public safety issues.

He also accused the Biden administration of allowing “Tens of Millions of Illegal Alien Criminals” into the United States, including “Hundreds of Thousands of Convicted Murderers, Rapists, Kidnappers, Drug Dealers, and Terrorists.”

He called his administration’s actions “the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.” He emphasized that ICE arrested 150,245 undocumented immigrants with criminal records in Republican-led states last year and that those operations were “peaceful” because of cooperation with local authorities.

Leavitt defended the administration’s approach amid mounting criticism, saying: “Americans overwhelmingly want exactly what President Trump wants: strong borders and tough immigration enforcement against the worst illegal aliens.”

He added that polls show “huge support for this very thing.”

The controversy follows two deadly incidents involving federal officers in Minneapolis this month. On January 7, Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot during protests against militarized ICE raids. Then on January 24, critical care nurse Alex Pretti was killed at point-blank range after being restrained by federal officers.

Trump suggested Pretti might be armed, but reports say he is licensed to carry a firearm and has already been disarmed. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called Trump’s claims “completely insane.”

Federal investigations are currently ongoing. Leavitt confirmed that the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are investigating Pretti’s death, while Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is conducting an internal review.

“As President Trump said yesterday, the administration is reviewing everything related to the shooting and we will allow that investigation to conclude,” he said.

Witness statements and body camera footage could provide additional details, but authorities have not released comprehensive evidence supporting the claim that an agent acted in self-defense.

Leavitt also accused Governor Walz of undermining law and order and claimed that nearly 500 undocumented immigrants with criminal records were released rather than taken into federal custody. Citing unrest in Minneapolis following the killing of George Floyd in 2020, he said state leadership allowed “violence and arson” to escalate.

Responding to X, Walz defended Minnesota’s record and accused the Trump administration of deploying “3,000 untrained agents” who endangered American lives. “Trump needs to remove his 3,000 untrained agents from Minnesota before they kill another American in the street,” he said.

The legal repercussions are already emerging. The justices heard arguments over whether to temporarily halt the federal immigration crackdown, and a separate federal court hearing was scheduled after a temporary restraining order prevented agencies from destroying or altering evidence linked to Pretti’s killing.

Congressional Democrats have warned they could block federal funding unless reforms to immigration enforcement are made.

Amid these developments, Trump emphasized his administration’s record of law and order successes in the United States, noting the decline in crime rates in Washington, D.C., Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Even in Minnesota, “The crime rate is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better!”

He also confirmed that Border Security’s top official, Tom Homan, was sent to Minnesota to coordinate federal operations in the wake of the deadly shootings.

The incidents and ensuing political clashes sparked nationwide protests and a fierce debate over the deployment of heavily armed federal agents in U.S. cities. Questions remain about whether these operations violate state sovereignty and whether federal enforcement will continue as planned despite growing public outrage.